In Defence of Carlos Tevez

Football isn’t a sport, it’s an entertainment business. Sport is nothing more than diversion; recreation; a pleasant pastime. It’s what we, as a species, perform in exchange for the extinction of physically fighting for our survival. We still need a physical nature to our lives. We call it sport because it isn’t severe.

Professional football on the other hand, is. Few will argue that it still holds true to the past time enjoyed by millions. But they’re wrong. Much like the entertainment industry; millions of pounds are invested in to the trade each year to the demand of results, profits and progress. If a footballer isn’t doing his job, he’s useless. Not just in the sense of any unproductive employee, for a footballer, the rules are different; you’re scoring goals, winning games and making money or you’re ineffective, recoiling and dead.

When an error in the system occurs, it is always dealt with. The ‘sport’ has evolved in tangent with its capitalistic roots to maintain that an act against the set up will always disembody itself. Any player who goes against the tide will eventually fail. Out of form? Sell him and buy someone better. Too old? Buy someone younger Let them dissolve and fall to the bottom of the pool. If sport’s initial creation was to compare, trade and sell a man as a commodity it would have been considered immoral, racist and depriving a man of his very human nature. Fortunately it wasn’t. Unfortunately that’s what it’s become.

Yet there are always exceptions to a rule. Deviations to a decree. Mistakes in the print. Carlos Tevez was exactly that. A Twenty Eight years old man, of sound mind and able body who had turned his back on the world of Football, and tainted the system.

The Manchester City striker fell out of love with his English club, and sport, late last year when a series of incidents highlighted the player’s unhappiness playing for the club. On the surface of it all, we assumed there was nothing but a pinch of playacting to this slice of theatrical cake and it was no more than a player vouching for a new contract. As the plot thickened, things became more severe.

After a number of vocal brawls with manager Roberto Mancini, coming to a head when the player apparently refused to come on in a match against Bayern Munich, Carlos Tevez was placed on ‘gardening leave’ and returned to South America with his family.

If a man had been persecuted unjustly by a corporation then it was the media and societies responsibility to bring such an organisation to justice. Yet we overlooked such a scenario and gazed past it at the continued allure of Premier League football, blinded by our jealousy and resentment to the money these men make. To the immoral Newspapers and corrupt average Joe, Carlos was evil. He couldn’t get away with this.

For a man who had always strived to point out that his family comes first; the media have incessantly demanded an explanation for his constant desire for riches and security. When Carlos declared that he wanted to move clubs to get closer to his family in Buenos Aires, people slated his desire to move to Milan, Paris or Madrid. In typical British fashion we laughed off the suggestion that such European hotspots would help a Hispanic player and his family live their lives, when he could continue to live in Manchester. A true cultural hub.

For most, the nature of Tevez’s unwavering behaviour on the pitch was hypocritical of his insolent manner off it. That a man with such a hard work ethic and talent in such abundance could turn from the game so easily was too sacrilege for most fans to accept. So we didn’t, and declared him a mad man. Every contract upgrade or record breaking transfer deal was only met with cynicism over the need for one man to have so much money and never the most important aspect; that he had always proved his worth.

When the Argentinean voyaged back to South America, the media refused to allow him control over the situation. He hadn’t gone back to visit his family, he’d been banished from the city of football for his crimes against the ‘sport’. Carlos Tevez wasn’t picking his family over an employer. He was refusing to play football, and was rubbing it in every fan’s face. Every season ticket holder across the country was insulted. How dare he offend the beautiful game? How dare he put something (or someone) before this ‘sport’?

This affair between Tevez and the Manchester City did more than plainly highlight a scenario where a player may or may not have been mistreated by a club. It underlined our initial reaction and loyalties. It drew our lines in the sand for us, and scoffed as we stood ashamed at where we stood. The famous line ‘no man is bigger than the club’ is stitched throughout football like a commandment for each to memorise, but few ever question the implications of allowing such a mandate to exist.

Carlos Tevez now returns to Manchester City with his tail between his legs and an apology well versed and satisfactory to return things once again to their normal order. The player walks back to the City of Manchester stadium with a chip in his shoulder – not for the pain and anger such legal battles have caused – but in acceptance that he’ll never be able to escape this oppression.

He’s paid to play football, to win games, to entertain to us; a professional football player, not a man.

(if you disagree with this then there’s very little hope left for you)

Tevez was never put on ‘gardening leave’. He was being punished for his breaches of contract in relation to his actions in Munich by being instructed to train away from the first team squad. He then proceeded to breach his contract again by going AWOL. If you feel the need to defend his actions please at least get your facts straight.

Or on the other hand, In defence of Manchester City, it’s supporters, the English Premier League etc etc. ….Football isn’t a sport played by individuals, it’s a team game.
And for the good of the game worldwide, keep the money/business side of sport separate. Then if clubs act unjustly towards any of its employees, ideally leave that for the governing bodies to sort out.
I don’t think the situation at Manchester City has got anywhere near as bad as you are making it sound.
Tevez is of course talented and works hard at his profession, but only does it for himself. Whereas team games require something more which he hasn’t yet shown himself capable of.

First off, nice article. Except that it’s a pastime, not a past time, and the phrase is “garden leave”, not gardening leave. The devil is in the detail is another phrase that springs to mind, because your first two paragraphs don’t make sense;
“Football isn’t a sport, it’s an entertainment business. Sport is nothing more than diversion;”
“Professional football on the other hand, is. Few will argue that it still holds true to the past time enjoyed by millions. But they’re wrong.”
What is football then, and who is wrong, the few? I don’t think anybody is under any illusions about the football industry, and any sport is entertainment, professional or otherwise.

Tevez is a complete player, and a valuable commodity. Nobody knows his state of mind, but if he wants to play football and help City in the run in, then all is forgiven and he can move on in the Summer. That’s been the club’s position from the start. Nobody put him on a plane to Argentina, he got on it himself. He refused a direct order from his manager, if we did that in the workplace it’s grounds for instant dismissal, but football player’s contracts put them above the local laws, that’s what they pay agents for.

Tevez has no defence whatever, that’s why he’s back fulfilling his contract. He just happens to be a professional football player, and one of the best in the world

I agree that Football is indeed an Entertainment Business but the rest is twaddle. Carloz Tevez didn’t fall out of Love with England. The only love he has is for himself.

Tevez has made a stack of money out of moving on every two or three years. Along with his friend and agent Kia Joorabchian. They decided to move on and make themselves more money in signing on fees. They also wanted to keep the bonus mountain they were “entitled to” at MCFC do Carlos did everything possible to move on – without making a transfer request. This has worked for many other players at every other club in the world. with the clubs not willing to lose too much money on a club asset.

Sadly for them they did it at the wrong club. With 3 and a 1/2 seasons STILL remaining on his 5 year contract – A contract he wasn’t coerced into signing – he started the process of moving to another club. Sadly for him the owner and board of Manchester City consider that your word is your bond – an old fashioned concept, but one they do not intend to back out of. They told him his contract bonuses were null and void because he was manoeuvring for a move and they also said he wouldn’t go until an offer was received that matched their valuation for the player for the remainder of his contract.

Tevez has done everything possible to escape this straight jacket by getting sacked (for not playing, insulting the manager and being AWOL). Indeed if the UEFA Football Fair Play Rules did not exist I believe Tevez would have been sacked with City holding onto his registration till a fee equivalent to the remaining time on his contact was paid. Sadly £25m is a big hole in the clubs finances, but City dug there heels in to make a point to any other player signing for City – i.e. We pay big bucks but WE WILL hold you to any contract you sign.

That is the way a business SHOULD behave and Manchester City should be applauded for that.

I must think very highly of myself or are the masses simply just generically retarded?
Of course money is on a footballers mind and heavily too. Why would it not?
In all honesty, who gives a toss about the club, the TEAM?, oh come on, get real. Not MC in particular, but any freaking club..Just wake up, that is all just bleeding blah blah, tribal drum drivel, that the clubs sell to rally cash (a.k.a. supporters) that in turn attracts big sponsors.. more cash.

As I heard somewhere from an agent and got me laughing at the dark humour:
“Supporters are a retarded phenomena, created by clubs to be voluntarily raped and fleeced, then thrown back to come back another day, and they will”

Tevez and any other player does well to fight for their own interests as long as they play well, like any common employee anywhere, period.